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Version: 4.5.x LTS

Glossary

ConceptDescriptionComments
ArtifactOutput of the generation process. The artifacts are the input for the provisioning process that transfers the artifacts to a specific set of [infrastructure nodes] that need to be transferred to a specific location.
GenerationThe process by which [artifacts] elements.Generation and deployment are two discrete steps. First, nevisAdmin 4 generates the artifacts and instructions. The user can review the result and choose to continue with deployment.
Generation EngineA standalone command line program that generates and deploys a configuration.
ProvisioningProvisioning is transferring [artifacts]. It is part of deployment.
BranchA sequence of [committed] domain.
CommitOperation of the [version control]. A commit cannot be undone.When publishing changes to Git, nevisAdmin 4 runs git commit immediately followed by git push to the remote version control repository.
Running ConfigurationThe current configuration of a [host] managed by nevisAdmin.
ConfigurationConsists of [pattern].
Deployable PatternA [pattern].
DeploymentThe process of updating the running configuration on one or multiple [host].
Deployment Host GroupThe group of [host] is executed. Also known as deployment target.
FilterA concept for narrowing the number of elements to those that meet specified criteria.
Generation ContextThe context in which [instructions].
HostAn entity to which configuration can be deployed. Similar to "server" and "hostname".Also known as (virtual) machine, VM, server, or hostname.
Host GroupA container for hosts. A host can be in zero, one or multiple groups. The group contains hosts with similar function.Purposes of groups:* A host group can act as the deployment host group within a [deployable pattern]. A host group can specify values for variables which apply only within that group. A host group can be used to restrict deployment only to those hosts.
InfrastructureAll [inventories] within nevisAdmin 4.
InstructionA UNIX command that is executed on a target host during [deployment].
InventoryA list of hosts, groups and host and group variables. A [tenant] can have multiple inventories.
Pattern CategoryThe classification of a [pattern]. Purely for helping users navigate/find related patterns or related pattern types.
Pattern (Class)Serves as a reusable template to define processes and use cases in [configuration].Pattern classes are written in the Groovy scripting language.
Pattern LibraryA collection of plug-in bundles containing, mainly, pattern types. Standard Pattern Library = all patterns shipped with the product and officially supported. Custom Pattern Library = a set of patterns developed by or for a specific customer, normally for non-standard use cases.
Pattern (Instance)A concrete pattern instance (object) containing user-provided configuration settings. Pattern instances can be stored in version control in the context of the project.Each pattern instance is associated with one pattern class: the class contains a script that validates the settings and generates instructions and artifacts based on the settings.Each pattern instance is stored in a separate YAML file. This includes all property values.
Pattern ReferenceLink from one pattern to another pattern. A property of the type "pattern reference", which can be one of the properties in a pattern, allows the referencing pattern to utilize the referenced pattern during the generation process.
Plug-inExtension of the nevisAdmin 4 platform. The following object types are realized as plug-ins: Pattern types, Property types, Generators Reports. A plug-in is identified by its class name. It is a Groovy or Java class provided by a [plug-in bundle].
Plug-in BundleA set of plug-ins and their resources packaged as a JAR file. It can be dynamically uploaded, activated and deactivated at runtime. Plug-in bundles have a version number.In the nevisAdmin 4 user interface, the plug-in bundles (JAR files) appear as (pattern) libraries.
ProjectCollection of patterns and variables definitions belonging to the same [configuration] which projects exist and which version control system and branch to load them from.
Property (Instance)Based on a certain property type. The user can then either set a value or use a [variable].
Property TypeBasic building block of [patterns]. Each property type has its own representation on the UI. Each pattern type is composed of a set of property names and property types.Some examples: SimpleTextProperty, SelectionProperty, ReferenceProperty and AttachmentProperty.
OrchestrationOrchestration solution like Ansible, Puppet, Salt, Shell.
StageA server environment where configuration is deployed to.Often, customers have sequences of stages through which configurations move from testing towards production (for example, TEST, INTEGRATION, ACCEPTANCE, PRODUCTION).Within nevisAdmin 4, stages are modeled as [inventories].
IssueAn event that happened during one of the processes, such as generation, validation, deployment, etc, and which is communicated to the user.Issues have a severity like ERROR, WARNING, or NOTICE.
TenantA single nevisAdmin instance is able to manage multiple dedicated configuration subdivisions, called tenants. Each tenant has its own projects and inventories, and supports tenant-level permissions.
VariableA property can use a variable instead of having a fixed value.The property will use the value assigned to that variable in a specific context, for example a hostname that depends on the actual generation / deployment context.
YAML"YAML Ain't a Markup Language". The formatting language (comparable to JSON and XML) used by nevisAdmin 4 to store, export and import various kinds of data. Benefits of this format include:* It is optimized to be both machine-readable/editable and human-readable/editable (unlike XML and JSON). It is loosely typed (unlike XML). It is commonly used for managing configuration and deployment.`http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YAML